Dundee is being represented at London Design Biennale 2018, in a project created by Biome Collective supported by Creative Dundee, Tilde Arts, Creative Scotland, UNESCO City of Design Dundee, Abertay University, University of Dundee and NEoN Digital Arts Festival! Also, key on our consultation and delivery were The Corner and Hot Chocolate Trust.

Shpeel is an immersive interactive experience that starts a conversation about mental health and well being. The 360 virtual environment was created for the London Design Biennale to show how the tool allows young people to express themselves without using verbal communication. The installation investigates whether video games can help to start young people talk about their mental health. Shpeel invites individuals to share their emotions via gaming techniques and 360-degree sound and animation. The technology then produces an avatar that imitates these feelings, giving people an alternative communicative therapy to words. Biome Collective was commissioned to represent UNESCO City of Design Dundee at London Design Biennale.

We’ll be sharing dispatches from the Biennale through the month, in short video form. This first week, hear a little bit about the origin of the project as well as some of the original experimentations.

Keep up to date on the exhibition through the hashtag #Shpeel and #LDB18 – and share some of your Dundee love over there!

View the Week 1 video below, watch the Week 2 here and Week 3 here. Find out more about the associated event on video games and mental health, Digital Design and Emotional States, here.

Shpeel was produced by Tilde Arts and supported by partners, including Creative Dundee.

Find out more about the project and Biome Collective, here.